Interlocking mechanism for voting-machines.



No. 740,059. PATBNTED SEPT. 29, 190s.v F. X. ST. LOUIS & A. M. JACKSON. INTERLOGKING MECHANISM FOR VOTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, 1903.

WITNESSES l/VVEN RS ATTORNEY fur. mmms PETERS co PHDTOJ vmq. WASHINGTON. o. c,

PAIBM'KED SEPT. 29 P. x. sm. LOUIS & M. JACKSON; INTERLOGKING MECHANISM FOR VOTING? mourns.

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UNITED STATES Patented September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS s'r. LOUIS AND ALFRED M. JACKSON, or COLUSA, CALIFORNIA.

lNTERLOC KING MECHANISM FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 740,059, dated September 29, 1903.

Original application filed October 24, 1902, fierial No, 128,676. Divided and this application filed March 19, 1903. Serial No. 148,628. (No model.)

.To (ZZZ whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we, FRANCIS X. ST. LOUIS and ALFREDMJ AOKsN,citizens of the United States, residing at Colusa, in the county of Oolusa and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Mechanism for Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in to interlocking or key-arresting mechanism for voting-machines, the object of our invention being to provide apparatus of this character which will prevent a voter voting for more candidates of a group than the law permits.

Our invention is especially applicable to a voting-machine invented by us the general construction of which is described and claimed in an application filed October 24., 1902, Serial No. 128,676, and of which the present applieo cation is a division.

of the interlocking mechanism, showing the same also applied to two adjoining sections. Fig. 10 is a side view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a voting-key attached to a stem 2. Upon said stem 2 is secured a finger 3, which before voting extends in .the longitudinal direction of the machine. The act of voting consists in raising said stem by its key and giving the stem a quarter-turn, either to the right or to the left, and then releasing said stem. This turn will bring said finger 3 into the upper portion of a slot 4111a slide 5. There are two of these slides, one on each side of the row of voting-keys. One of the slides-as, for instance, that to the left-corresponds to the nominated candidates and the other to the unnorninated candidates. Supposing that the key rests in a slot in the slide on the leftthat is, supposing that the Voter has voted for a nominated candidate and has completed the act of Voting by operating the other keys in like manner-the election officer then re ciprocates said slides, or the slides may be reciprocated by the act of the voter in leaving the booth.

The upper portion of the slot 4. is oblique in direction, and for this reason the first move ment of the reciprocation has the effect of depressing the finger 3, which has been dropped by the act of voting into the upper end of the slot. Said fingers are sufficiently long to extend through said slides and over pins 6, extending from the sides of'rollers 7, so that the depression of the finger by its engagement with the pin imparts a partial rotation to the roller. The rollers 7 carry tapes or bands 8, having numerals 9 printed thereon, sufficient to record the number of votes, and the depression of the pin thus advances the corresponding tape through a distance to bring the next higher number below an aperture in the top of the voting-machine, through which the number may be inspected at the close of the poll.

If the key be turned tion,so that the finger extends to the right,said finger engages a pin 10 on a similar roller 11, around which, however, is a band 12 of paper on which to write the names of persons next nominated, and the eifect of depressing the finger in this case by means of the slide on the right will be to advance the band of paper a sufficient distance to bring a clean surface below the aperture for the next voter to vote by means thereof, if desired.

The above has been more fully explained in an application above referred to and forms no part of our present invention, being herein set forth for aclearer understanding of the interlocking mechanism, which we will now describe.

Upon the lower end of each voting-stem is secured a stud 13, which rests against a pair of pins 14 on a sprocket-wheel15. Said wheel has four pairs of such pins, the pairs being in the opposite direcequidistant from each other. When the stem is raised in the act of voting, the stud 13 by pressure against the upper pin of the pair advances said sprocket-wheel through aquarter-turn, thereby advancing also a sprocketchain 16. Said sprocket-chain runs over a series of such sprocket-wheels l5 and also around two lower sprocket-wheels 17. It is evident that the'sprocket-chain is advanced through a distance corresponding to the number of keys that have been voted, and if the advance of the sprocket-chain is limited so also will be limited the number of keys of a group that may be voted. The amount of advance of the sprocket-chainis limited by means of abar 18, attached to said sprocketchain, which bar is attached to a sleeve 19, which slides upon a rod 20, connected pivotally to the lower end of a lever 21, which is the lever by means of which slides are reciprocated. A pin 22 in said rod limits the distance to which the tube can be slid. This pin is adjusted in a series of holes 23 in the rod.

When the stem after being raised is turned in the act of voting, the stud 13 is withdrawn from contact with the pair of pins 14, so as to cause no obstruction to the further advance of the sprocket-chain when casting other votes. If the voter changes his vote and turns back the stem to its original position, the stud13 will be brought back into contact with the two pins 14, and upon the stem dropping back to its normal position said stud, 'now pressing down upon the lower pin of the pair, returns the sprocket-chain also to its former position.

When it is desired to permit only one of a group of candidates to be voted for, we provide on the lower end of each voting -stem, loosely mounted thereon, a finger 25, which rests normally between the end of sleeves 26, secured, by means of screws 27, upon a stationary bar 28. When the stem is raised, said finger 25 displaces steel balls 29in a row in said sleeves. The amount of such displacement is limited by means of screws 30 in nuts 31 at the ends of the row of sleeves, so that when the finger has been inserted the channel formed by said sleeves is completely blocked against the insertion of a finger on any other-voting-stem.

We claim- 1. A voting-machine comprising a row of voting-stems, registering mechanisms operated thereby, a corresponding row of sprocketwheels, means carried by each stem for advancing the sprocket-wheel when the stem is moved, a sprocket chain around all the wheels, and means for limiting the movement of the sprocket-chain to limit the number of stems that may be operated, substantially as described.

2. A voting-machine comprising a row of voting-stems, fingers extending therefrom, a corresponding row of sprocket-wheels, pins in pairs on said sprocketwheels, each finger engaging both pins of a pair, and advancing said sprocket-wheel when the stem is shifted, a sprocket-chain around all the wheels, and means for limiting the movement of the sprocket-chain, substantially as described.

8. A voting-machine comprising a row of Voting-stems, registering mechanisms, de-

vices carried by the stems for actuating said registering mechanisms when the stems have been moved longitudinally and partly rotated, sprocket-wheels, means carried by said stems for advancing said sprocket-wheels when the stems are so moved longitudinally, said means being drawn out of engagement with said sprocket-wheels when the stems are turned, a sprocket chain around all the wheels, and means for limiting the movement of the chain, substantially as described.

4. A voting-machine comprising votingstems, registering mechanisms, means brought into engagement with the registering mechanisms when the stems are moved longitudinally and partly turned, a row of sprocket-Wheels, each sprocket-wheel having pairs of pins, fingers carried by the stems, each finger engaging both pins of the pair on the corresponding sprocket-wheel, and advancing the wheel when the stem is moved longitudinally, a sprocket-chain around all of the wheels, and means for limiting the movement of the sprocket-chain, substantially as described.

5. A voting-machine comprising a row of voting key -stems, registering mechanisms therefor, a row of sprocket-wheels, means car ried by the stems for advancing the sprocketwheels, a sprocket-chain around said wheels, a rod attached to said sprocket-chain, a tube attached to the other end of said rod, a bar upon which said tube slides, and a pin in said bar for limiting the sliding movement of said tube, substantially as described.

6. A voting-machine comprising a rod of voting-stems registering mechanisms therefor, sprocket-wheels, means actuated by the movement of said stems for advancing said sprocket-wh eels, a sprocket-chain around said wheels, a rod attached to said chain, a tube attached to the other end of said rod, a bar having a series of holes, and a pin variably inserted in one of said holes, said tube abutting against said pin when a predetermined number of said stems have been operated, substantially as described.

7. A voting-machine comprising a row of voting-keys, registering mechanisms therefor, a row of sprocket-wheels, means carried by said stems for advancing said sprocketwheels, a sprocket-chain around said wheels, a rod attached to said chain, a tube attached to the other end of said rod, a resetting-bar, a stop on said resetting-bar against which said tube slides in its limiting position, and a lever attached to said resetting-bar for shifting said bar to reset the chain, substantiallyas described.

8. A voting-machine comprising a row of voting-keys, registering mechanisms therefor, a row of sprocket-wheels, means carried by said stems for advancing said sprocketwheels, a sprocket-chain around said wheels, a rod attached to said chain, a tube attached to the other end of said rod, a resetting-bar,

IIO

a stop on said resetting-bar against which I ourhands in the presence of subscribing wit said tube slides in its limiting position, a lenesses.

Ver attached to said resetting-bar for shift- F. X. ST. LOUIS. ing said bar to reset the chain, and means for A. M. J ACKSON. 5 adj ustin'g; the pivotal point of said lever, sub- Witnesses:

stantially as described. FRANCIS M. WRIGHT,

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set BESSIE GORFINKEL. 

